What is "America’s Best Everything" (ABE)?

ABE is a free on-line service that helps people to find the absolute best service providers, retail shops and restaurants in their area. By combining all the best attributes of similar services ABE identifies and rewards, in each city, the five best businesses, in each of over 100 categories, that go above and beyond in areas of customer service, quality and integrity.

We believe that every honest entrepreneur should receive recognition for enduring the hardships and struggles associated with business start-up and ownership. Small businesses are the engine that makes this country run and it is really only the best that can survive the overwhelming regulation, taxation and critical public review in this age of the internet. So it is the mission of ABE to help the best of those businesses get the recognition and assistance they deserve.

How does it work?

If a company believes that it rightfully deserves to be considered as one of "America’s Best" and it does go above and beyond in areas of service, quality and integrity then they can apply for listing on America’s Best. The application is relatively short but once an application is received ABE proceeds to scrutinize and investigate the claims made on the application. If the company has been completely truthful on the application and the extensive review confirms that the company meets the necessary criteria, then the application will be "APPROVED".

Once a company has been "APPROVED" to be listed on the "America’s Best" site they will become part of the "America’s Best Business Alliance" community (which is coordinated nationwide through Meetup.com) with all of the many benefits that come with that including the right to customize a "Profile Page" for it's business (effectively a full page advertisement) on the "America’s Best" website specific to their kind of business.

Also, if your business is approved and the fees are paid, your business will be guaranteed to have its “Profile Page” listed for 1 full year. At the end of that year your business may, at your request, be reapproved for another year and your listing will continue on the site for which you will continue to be billed $3/month OR you may be notified that another application has been received during the past year, from a business that our reviewers have determined may be better qualified to be included on our list of the five best businesses of your type in your city. If you receive such a notice your business will be removed from the list once your year is up but you will have the right to reapply. See below for details.

How are the "Best" chosen?

Each application submitted will be heavily scrutinized and checked for accuracy. References provided will be contacted. Ratings reports (if any) will be reviewed, reviews will be examined, references to awards won will be confirmed and special emphasis will be given to the section where the applicant is asked to explain what makes them special. Numerous factors will be taken into consideration but there should be no doubt that if a company is approved for listing on America’s Best then it deserves it.

What does it cost the people who use the site to find the Best companies?

It is absolutely FREE for anyone to view the listings on our site. Our objective is to help every company listed on our site to get as much business as possible. Making the service FREE, along with offering a multitude of Tip Sheets (full of valuable no-nonsense information), should keep people coming back time and again to use the service and get as much exposure as possible for the companies that are listed.

What does it cost the companies to become recognized as one of the Best and have their profile on the site?

There is a one time $18.00 fee for each "APPROVED" applicant to register their business with "America’s Best" and to have our system create a basic "Profile Page/Ad" for them that can then customized by the individual companies with pictures, videos, coupons, tip sheets, etc.. After the "Profile Page/Ad" has been created the business will then be charged a nominal $3 per month fee (billed quarterly in advance) to: help cover the expense to maintain the "America’s Best Everything" site; promote the "America’s Best" brand for the benefit of the businesses listed thereon; and to cover the expenses associated with carefully evaluating the multitude of applications that are submitted each year.

If you are unable or unwilling to cover these nominal fees to help assure the ongoing success and recognition of the “America’s Best” brand and to be formally recognized as one of five, of your kind of business in your city, that meet the qualifications to be designated as “America’s Best”, then PLEASE DO NOT APPLY. Significant time and expense goes into the review of all applications. So any business that applies, is approved and then fails to contribute the nominal fees being requested, will be banned from reapplying in the future.

What other benefits do companies receive once they are acknowledged as one of America’s Best?

The list of benefits is long and is covered very well in the short video presentation included on the "America’s Best Business Alliance" Meetup.com page which is accessible by clicking HERE

Why is it so inexpensive for the companies?

While it is true that for a company to place even a small banner ad on a high traffic site it can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month, we felt that it was critical that the companies that are APPROVED as "America’s Best" be given recognition as being one of the Best and be given the opportunity to maintain a full page customizable profile without being burdened with any significant expense.

What if I apply but don’t get approved?

Our criteria for APPROVAL is very high and most companies that apply will not be approved. Please however don’t let this discourage you. The longer you are in business the better your business is likely to become if excellence is something that you strive for. Applicants that are not approved will have the opportunity to reapply every 6 months.

What if I am APPROVED but there are already five businesses listed in my town for my type of business?

If there are already five listings in your town in your category then the only way you would be "APPROVED" would be a determination by our staff that your business is better qualified to hold one of those five spots than a business that is already listed. If that happens then your company will be added to a "Wait List" to replace that company once their time is up. Every "APPROVED" business is guaranteed to hold their position as one of "America’s Best" for one full year. After that, an "APPROVED" company can renew for another year only if another "more qualified" company is not waiting on the "wait list" to take their place.

What happens if my company gets listed for a year and then is bumped off by a "better qualified" company?

Clearly the objective of our service is to continually upgrade the quality of the businesses listed and that means that "better qualified" companies will sometimes bump other companies off the list once their year is up. If your company has been bumped you are encouraged to do what you can to enhance your application by improving the quality of your products or services to inspire even better customer reviews, seek out more opportunities to win more awards and otherwise gain more recognition for your business. You are then welcome to reapply after 6 months and if you succeed in regaining your spot on the list then the initial $18 fee will be waived as you regain your listing.

What happens if someone reports my business after I’m listed?

We take "Reports" very seriously and each one will be investigated as to it’s merit. If it turns out that one of our listed companies has violated the principles of "America’s Best" then we reserve the right to remove any company from the site at any time "For Cause". If a company is removed they will not receive a refund of any fees paid except for a pro-rata refund of any prepaid quarterly fees that may have been paid at that time.

Can a business modify or update it’s profile page once it’s created?

Absolutely, we very much encourage each business to customize their profile as much as possible and update it often with new pictures, coupons, tip sheets, etc.

How can someone nominate a business?

A button is provided (on the right had column of each page) for anyone to submit a nomination. Or you are welcome to click HERE to be sent directly to the nomination form.

Can a business nominate itself?

Yes, but that would be pointless. Once we receive a nomination form we send an email to the nominated company informing them that they have been nominated and inviting them to apply for "APPROVAL" as one of America’s Best. You can speed up the process by clicking the "Business Application" button on the home page or clicking HERE to be taken directly to the application page. Every business is invited to apply if they believe that they have what it takes to be regarded as one of "America’s Best".

Does America’s Best Everything issue ratings?

No, only those companies that meet or exceed our criteria to be regarded as one of America’s Best will be included on the site.

What are Tip Sheets?

"Tip Sheets" are one page reports that include the most useful tips that a business or professional can think of to help consumers understand aspects of their business. Examples may include: "Best ways to save money buying new furniture", "Top 10 nutrition tips to help your on-the-go kids stay healthy", "Top things to consider when choosing a tutor", "Top Tips for saving money on car repairs", "Quick and easy landscaping tricks to save you time and money".

The companies that have been approved for listing as one of America’s Best are encouraged to show their expertise and offer the best tip sheets they can to the public on their profiles. Click HERE to see an example called: "Top 10 tips for growing your small business."